TechManual, which presents the design rules for making custom units that comply with the standard game play rules.Total Warfare is supplemented by six or more other books (some pending): The latest iteration of the BattleTech rules is Total Warfare (2006), a streamlined compendium intended to integrate the numerous rules sets that have governed the series into a single, comprehensive volume that details the tournament legal and/or standard rules set for game play.

Catalyst also retained many of the staff members who worked for FanPro. In June 2007, Catalyst Game Labs (a subsidiary of InMediaRes Productions, LLC) acquired the license to Classic BattleTech, and has reiterated its commitment to publishing quality products. FanPro licensed the rights from WizKids and under the new name Classic Battletech continued to release sourcebooks and supplements. FASA ceased producing BattleTech in 2001 and sold the franchise to WizKids. This engineering facet of the game has remained enduringly popular with players and may explain BattleTech's longevity.įASA Corporation published the first BattleTech game set in 1984, and throughout the '80s and '90s released a wide range of supplemental books and materials for the series. While pre-designed 'Mechs, vehicles and other military units are provided with the game, a complex system of design rules allows players to create their own custom units even in the introductory boxed set. Of the units represented in the game, the most common are BattleMechs known as 'Mechs', large, semi-humanoid fighting machines controlled by human pilots. Players use two six-sided dice to determine variable results, such as whether a shot strikes its target and the location it hits. Paper record sheets provide detailed information about each unit, including its armament, armor and equipment, and are used to track damage, heat buildup, ammunition and various other data. BattleTech is a turn-based, multiplayer game, typically played on a map divided into hexagonal grids with figurines or counters representing military units.

Battletech tactical operations counters